In terms of a memorable story from the head of one of the world’s largest brands, Yum! Brands Chairman and CEO David Novak delivers one of the best in his book Taking People With You: The Only Way to Make BIG Things Happen. Now available as a summary from Soundview Executive Book Summaries, Novak tells a story in the book’s introduction of a PepsiCo employee breaking down in tears. The employee was neither upset nor angry. His emotion stemmed from complete surprise that his co-workers regarded him as the best merchandising expert they’d ever encountered. Novak realized a twofold sense of disappointment. Here was an employee who never felt appreciated. It led Novak to wonder how many other PepsiCo employees felt the same way.

What Novak did with this experience is construct a recognition culture that powers a brand with more than $11 billion in revenues. InTaking People With You, Novak provides one of the best CEO tutorials for turning your organization into one in which every contributor feels valued. Managers at every level of a company will benefit from the advice dispensed by Novak. One can’t-miss section is the second of the book’s three parts. In this segment, Novak gives readers the building blocks to construct and improve strategy, structure, and culture.

Novak’s emphasis that “winning together” is the essential ingredient in creating a great workplace culture should not be overlooked. He argues that too many organizations ignore the need for culture. For companies that argue they are too big (or even too small) to implement an improved workplace culture should reconsider the statement when they read about the scope of Novak’s efforts and his conviction to the idea of a shared victory.